My Enemy, My Ally, My Rival
by Chibi Envy Chan
Summary: With Scar on the move, it is not safe for any state alchemist. Will Ed survive his encounter or will he receive help from an unlikely ally? Hints of EnvyEd shounen ai.
1. Chapter 1

Title: My Enemy, My Ally, My Rival  
Author: Chibi Envy Chan  
Fandom: Full Metal Alchemist  
Rating: PG-13  
Warning: Swearing, innuendos, some violence, and implied male/male relationship  
Summary: With Scar on the move, it is not safe for any state alchemist. Will Ed survive his encounter or will he receive help from an unlikely ally?

Disclaimer: The characters in this fic belong to their respective owner. If I can remember it, X.x I will write it.

Chapter 1

After hearing many reports and sightings of Scar in and around Central, the military personnel at headquarters were busy and chaotic. The normal state military were inspecting and taking care of their weapons or other weapons. Some of them were better off with hand to hand fighting or close range combat with a small weapon. However, this was severely advised against, because the enemy only required one touch and instant death. That also explained why there were many soldiers at the rooting range, practicing their aim.

State alchemists, on the other hand, were in a worse condition. They were the main targets of the enemy. Many of the veterans were reviewing their notes, checking their equipment, and going into a mock battle against other alchemists. They had experience in battle; yet, with every battle, there was that same fear, except they had learned to control it to some degree. The newer recruits were scared out of their minds. They were mainly clustered in the library, researching the different arrays even though they had passed the test. This was the first time they were going to use alchemy in a life or death combat. One false move could mean the difference between staying alive or dying. That was why the library was crowded and a certain state alchemist was more than irate.

"Brother, we could always borrow the books," a seven foot armor said, trying to calm down an annoyed short blond. "The military dorms should be quiet enough for us to continue our research."

"Sure, Al," the blond snorted. Needless to say, he was not going to calm down any time soon. "I'm certain we can find something in those beginners' books." With the frenzy, there were not many books available. Normally, it was the Elric brothers and a few alchemists on any given day, but now, it was a mad house.

"I was only trying to help." The armor pouted a little.

Ed sighed. His brother was being himself, kind and generous. He was too high strung and frustrated beyond belief. "I know that."

Al tilted his head to one side before speaking again. "With Scar on the loose, do you think it is wise for us to be out alone?"

Twisting a little, the diminutive state alchemist replied, "I am not a child. I can take care of myself. We have each other." They were a team and it was going to take more than a serial state alchemist killer to separate them.

The armor paused, allowing his older brother to continue ahead alone until he realized the armor stopped. Al fidgeted as he tried to find the right words to say, ones that would not cause his brother to spazz out.

"What is it this time?" Ed inquired in an exasperated manner. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot, impatiently waiting for an answer.

There was no use going around it. It was now or nothing. "Remember the last time we went up against Scar?" A pause. A twitch. A glare. "You ended up in the hospital, and if it wasn't for the colonel, you would have sacrificed yourself to protect me. Do you honestly think we even stand a chance against him?"

Dark shadows covered his eyes. Memories of his encounter began to surface, unwanted memories of his defeat. He clenched his fist as he remembered how he nearly lost his life to the serial state alchemist killer. "I won't let it happen again. This time I am going to be prepared."

Al was still worried. Brother tended to be brash, stubborn, and completely reckless. At the same time, Al had a point. The two should not be wandering away from headquarters or where the state military were gathered. "Are you certain about it?"

"I'm certain about it. What has gotten into you?" Ed inquired. Al was not this stubborn. Dammit, it was his job!

"It's just? I'm worried about you," Al hesitantly answered. He was afraid of losing his big brother with the way they lost mother. "I know our missions are sometimes dangerous, but you shouldn't have to put your life on the line every minute. What will happen if you die? What about our goal?"

"You worry too much, Al," Ed said with confidence even though he was scared at the thought of meeting Scar again. He learned to control his fear, because he needed to be strong for his little brother. "Who says I'm going to be dying soon? There are a lot of things I want to do and getting our bodies back to normal is one of them."

'Brother, I wish I have the same confidence as you do,' Al thought. He slowly walked to where his brother was standing. ?I just feel better if we aren?t far away from the others? in case we need back up or medical attention.?

"If you're worried about it, then I won't take long," Full Metal Alchemist assured him. It was hard to get him to admit defeat, fear, or any sort of humiliation. He had an ego the size of Central despite his small body. "We'll pick it up and go." Turning back, he started to walk to his original destination.

This was at least better than Ed refusing to go so he supposed he could deal with it. It was hard to get brother to do certain things. The suit of armor clanged as he hurried to catch up to the state alchemist. "Why not eat at the cafeteria? It's a lot closer and cost less."

Upon hearing this, Ed snorted and made a face. "That crap. I've seen what's on the menu, meatloaf surprise." When they say surprise, they really mean it. He remembered the first time he tried it and vowed never to eat the rancid stuff.

Al chuckled while remembering that incident. Brother had been so hungry that he ate half of it before turning a lovely shade of green. There were times where he was thankful he didn't require eating. "I remembered that. You nearly made the Colonel deaf afterwards."

"They should have a health citation for it. I can't believe they're still serving it." Ed was not a happy camper that day. The people on the streets were getting out of his day though many were annoyed about the inconvenience.

"I can't believe there are people who eat it," Al commented thoughtfully. If no one ate it, then they would not be serving it in the first place. "But why out here? I mean there are good restaurants near headquarters and the library."

Full Metal had that 'no duh' look on his face. "Their cuisine is okay, but Antonio's serves the best noodles with meat sauce in all of Central." There was that mischievous look on his fact. It only meant trouble and by the truckloads. "I wonder if they're willing to part with their secret recipe."

"It wouldn't be much of a secret if he told anyone? Al reminded his older brother as several sweatdrops appeared on his helmet. "Besides, you rarely cook and?"

"Don't even go there," Ed scowled. He could never hate his younger brother, annoyed and irritated yes. "I can cook. It's just not as good as other, but it's still edible."

"State alchemist, your culinary skills won't matter where you are going."

It was that voice; that one voice Ed was not looking forward to hearing. It must be his imagination. Yes, it was his imagination, running wild. It had to be. There could be no other alternative. Despite it, Ed turned around and paled at the sight. Those crimson eyes were bearing down on him and that hand was moving quickly to him. In those few seconds, Ed saw his life flash before him. He saw him looking at his brother for the first time. He saw the two of them trying to sneak a peek at Dad's alchemy books. He saw them getting ready to bring back their Mom. He saw his teacher explaining things while she taught them about alchemy. Ed stood there like a deer frozen in headlights.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light and then?

A certain homunculus was laughing his head off. "Ochibi-san, you should have seen the expression on your face. It was priceless! I only wish I had a camera to capture the moment."

Three.

Two.

One.

"Who are you calling an ultra midget who can easily be squashed by a speck of dust?"

Before Ed could do any serious damage to the laughing homunculus, the suit of armor restrained him. Al wished Ed learned to control that temper of his especially when his height was involved. Could armors even frown? "That wasn't nice, Envy."

The homunculus finally calmed down to a few giggles here and there. "It wasn't supposed to be nice."Humans could be such idiots.

"You androgynous idiot! You nearly scared me half to death." Ed fumed, struggling to get out of the armor's grasp. He waved his arms around wildly as if it was going to help procure his freedom.

Now the very dangerous and homicidal homunculus was pouting. "Aw, only half? It should have been completely." He paused a minute before wincing. "On second thought, half would be better. The last thing I want to hear is That Person screeching." Her voice was grating on his nerves.

"That Person?" both Elric brothers thought, pondering the identity of this person. Obviously, he or she had some control over Envy and maybe the other homunculi.

"What do you want?" Ed growled. With Envy if he wanted something, then the homunculus was going to get it. Also he seemed to be the type to have a motive or reason behind everything he did.

This time Envy pretended to be hurt, which looked completely off of him. "Who said I wanted anything? Is it a crime to visit my favorite pint sized alchemist? It has been awhile since we've seen each other."

"Who are you calling the world's smallest shrimp?"

The suit of armor restrained the Full Metal Alchemist once more. He just shook his head or rather helmet. "Brother, you are drawing attention to us." It amazed him that his brother paid attention to certain words that are synonymous with the word short and ignore the others.

"What attention? They're only dirty cats," Ed scoffed before smacking himself for saying it. "Don't you even think about it, Al."

It was Al's turn to pout. "But brother, they need good homes and loving owners. Don't you have a heart?"

"We've had this discussion before," the state alchemist reminded him. He had yet to be released. "It is going to be tough on them and us. We are constantly on the road and our diet? My diet isn't the best."

"But we could always try," Al protested as he tightened his grip on his brother. He really wanted a kitty. They were such cute creatures.

The state alchemist felt the grip tighten. "We're on missions and missions mean danger. Kitties won' last long in fights."

As the brothers exchanged words, Envy glanced back and forth between the two of them. He hated being left out so when a perfect opportunity to insult Full Metal appeared, he eagerly grabbed it. "The same could be said about a certain miniature state alchemist." That was certain to rile up Ochibi-san.

"But you don't know that," Al whined, being as stubborn as his older brother.

"What do you think they can do, scratch our enemies' eyes out?" Ed asked rhetorically. ?Cats are just good for eating and sleeping.?

He was being ignored. Envy hated being ignored. "It also applies to you, Ochibi-san." There was no way he was going to be ignored.

"They're good companions and independent," Al pointed out. He was not about to let Brother win this argument. A kitty's life was at stake!

"Alphonse Elric, you are completely missing the point," Ed argued. This was going nowhere and fast.

Grrrrr. He was definitely being ignored and on purpose too! What did it take to get their attention on him? Nobody ignored the Ultimate Monster and got away with it. Well except maybe That Person. Changing his arm into a blade, he charged at the brothers only to completely miss them.

As the homunculus was charging, the two brothers fought and somehow, Ed managed to free himself. This caused the two of them to separate and Envy to completely miss his target. And the result? Envy crashing into the wall and leaving a lovely Envy shaped dent.

Unfortunately for the Sin, the two brothers just happened to look in that direction. He wanted attention, but dammit not when he was humiliated. While Al was looking with worry, Ed was laughing uncontrollably.

"So now you look," Envy grumbled as he pulled himself from the dent. He then glared at the laughing blond and rolled his eyes. "It's not that funny." If it had been anyone else, he or she would have been killed the first moment he heard the laughter.

"Says you," Ed wheezed out, clutching his sides. He had come to know Envy as a graceful and well coordinated homunculus. "If we only had a camera."

Now it took a lot for Envy to become pissed off except when it came to a certain subject. The midget was making fun of him. It was supposed to be the other way around! "If you even take a picture, I'll shove that camera up your ass."

Ed scoffed. "As if. What are you doing here?" He asked when he realized that the homunculus had not attacked him, just scared him half to death.

"Did I not answer this? I'm here to visit my favorite midget." Envy taunted. Now this was more like it. He grinned when he saw Full Midget lunge at him. Stepping aside, he allowed the blond to pass harmlessly past him. "Too slow as usual."

"Envy, you must have a reason for being here other than to annoy my brother," Al calmly pointed out. He had to have the patience of a saint to put up with the Full Metal Alchemist on a regular basis. Yet at times, he had his limits.

"This must be the smart one," Envy thought sizing up the suit of armor. "Actually, I was just in the neighborhood so I decided to drop by." He shrugged casually before dusting himself off.

"So you decided to annoy the hell out of me for the fun of it?" Ed growled.

"What else is there to do?" Envy asked rhetorically. He placed his hands behind his back and rocked back and forth on his heels. "I mean Al is no fun to mess with. He's too patient and understanding to pick a fight with unlike you."

"Thanks, I think?" Al said hesitantly. "Brother, we should be going back. Scar can be anywhere and you know you are on top of his list."

"We?ll be fine," Ed scoffed. There was no way in hell he was going to appear weak in front of his personal tormentor. It gave Envy more ammunition against him. "I can handle him." Crossing his arms over his chest, he silently dared either of them to say anything. "And besides, we had the conversation already."

"Remember our last fight with scar?" Al brought up. It was also an excuse to get away from Envy without appearing to be one. Al, always polite even to enemies.

Before Ed could say anything, Envy commented, "You landed yourself in the hospital and a wrench to the head from a certain mechanic." He had a smug smirk on his face. Information travel quickly when it concerned the youngest state alchemist.

Going into his accusing mode, Ed growled at him. "And how do you know that. Were you spying on me?" That palm tree wannabe was severely asking for it.

Envy snorted. "As if I would go through that trouble to find about your medical condition." It was the truth, not like Ed was going to believe him for that matter. "A little birdie told me."

"You're such a bad liar." Ed started before going into another full fledged Edward Elric rant when concerning any word that was closely similar to short.

"Brother," Al said in a calm and patient voice. Unfortunately, brother was caught up in his rant and Envy's taunts were not helping either. He ended up grabbing his brother and hauling him off his feet. It was completely uncharacteristic of him, but given the circumstances, it was understandable.

"Put me down! I can walk!" Ed failed around and succeeding in tiring himself out as well as giving Envy a good laugh or two. "Oh shut up, Palm Tree."

As usual, Al ignored in favor of getting to the restaurant as soon as possible. The longer they stayed away from the others the more chances Scar had to catch them alone. Then there was the fact a homunculus was lurking close by.

Envy watched as the two disappear from his sight. He had no intention of following Ochibi-san. Oh great, now how was he supposed to entertain himself? He supposed he could pose as scar and scare the hell out of the state alchemists. No wait, it was getting boring. Half of the Scar sightings were him in disguise. It was fun that time, because of the recipient.

"If Scar is here, then Lust and Gluttony should be nearby. They had been assigned to keep an eye on him. I wonder if I am going to see them anytime soon. Heh, I can't be desperate for something to do, can I?"

Shrugging, he sauntered off in search of something to do. He did not even bother to disguise himself, preferring to stay in his preferred form. "Palm tree. Like he could be any more original with his name calling."

Oh wonderful, Envy was reduced to talking to himself. It was a sure sign of insanity, but who ever said that he was sane in the first place? He mingled with the crowded and headed away from where the state military were concentrated. Right now, he wanted to do something fun; however, That Person specifically told him to keep a low profile. It was such a pain at times.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: My Enemy, My Ally, My Rival  
Author: Chibi Envy Chan  
Fandom: Full Metal Alchemist  
Rating: PG-13  
Warning: Swearing, innuendos, some violence, and implied male/male relationship  
Summary: With Scar on the move, it is not safe for any state alchemist. Will Ed survive his encounter or will he receive help from an unlikely ally?

Chapter 2

Almost an hour later.

The oldest homunculus could be found lounging out at the fountain near the center of the village. It was even near the military headquarters, but he did not car. Could someone actually die from boredom? Bored, bored, bored. There were Envy's last conscious thoughts on sleep took hold of him.

It could have been hours later for all he knew. Opening his violent eyes, he found himself in the water instead of snoozing on the wall? Did he roll over in his sleep?

"Wake up, sleeping beauty," an irritated female voice sounded from behind him. "You may be the oldest, but you certainly act the youngest."

Standing up, Envy spoke neutrally. "Lust, how nice of you to drop by. What brings you here?" He was mildly annoyed at being shoved into the fountain. At least, he did not have to wait a long time to dry off which he did in less than a second.

"You know we should be keeping a low profile." Lust scolded him. Honestly, Envy was the oldest Sin; yet, at the same time, he acted like the youngest. Sloth was the youngest; however, she definitely acted more mature than her current company. "That means not staying in plain sight for long periods of time." She received a cold glare from him. "That Person has ordered you to follow the Elric brothers." Straight and to the point as always.

Envy's face contorted in rage. Sure, he did not mind seeing the Ochibi-san now and then, but to be in his presence for more than a few moments? That was unspeakable, downright ludicrous. He chocked on his words. "Me baby-sitting the shrimp?" His hands were clenched as he was about to get into one of his rages.

Lust sighed and rubbed her temples. This was one of the reasons why she did not want to be the messenger. Envy's tantrums were something not to be taken lightly. She supposed it could be called that. "Orders are orders. It can't be helped especially with Scar running around. You know how important Full Metal is in our plans. Don't ruin it."

"Do you think that I was created yesterday?" Envy asked rhetorically. Really, he was sometimes careless, but he was not stupid like a certain homunculus. "I know what the plans are and I am not going to let anything ruin it." He glared at her.

"Good," the female homunculus slightly nodded her head while tapping her chin. She knew he had been serious about the plan. He had been the one to create chaos within the military ranks with his shape shifting abilities. "Now you need to find him right away."

"Why?" Envy inquired, his fury slowly decreasing but not for long.

"Because we lost track of Scar," Lust answered in an annoyed tone. So many questions from Envy. This was uncharacteristic of him. He was usually obedient.

Ten seconds later, a loud scream could be heard throughout the area courtesy of one palm tree. "WHAT?" His fury double and now he looked like he was going to rip off someone's head.

"We lost him?"

"I heard that," Envy growled, creating a scene. The humans near them were giving the two homunculi strange looks. He needed to hit something, preferably the shrimp. "How could you lose him?"

She rolled her eyes. It was hard looking after the bottomless pit known as Gluttony. Lust had no choice in the matter. That Person usually paired them as a team. Other than that, he followed her like a lost puppy. "You forget who my traveling companion is and how hungry he can be?" She received a sharp glare in response.

"Where is that tub of lard?"

"He's back at the hotel room. I told him to wait there," Lust replied. She needed to get back to her task of locating Scar and Envy needed to locate Full Metal as soon as possible. "You should go find Full Metal before Scar has his way with him."

If he had taken the time to think about it, he would have figured out the innuendo in her seemingly innocent statement. "The shrimp is mine!"

Raising her bow, Lust looked at him strangely. "I never knew you were interested in Full Metal. This is going to be complicated."

Say what!

For the second time that day and within that hour, Envy had been rendered speechless. His mind refused to cooperate with him and he was mumbling incoherent phrases.

Chuckling, Lust wished she had a camera to take a picture of it. This was too priceless. She patiently waited for her older 'brother' to pull himself together. It did not take too long.

"I do not like the shrimp!" By now Envy was flailing around as if he was trying to fly. It was indeed a comical sight to those who knew him.

"I never said that," Lust reminded him with a smug smile, which irritated the palm tree to no ends. She knew there were few things that pushed Envy over the edge. This happened to be one of them.

Envy glared daggers at her. He would have put a dagger through her throat or up her ass if it did not create a scene. "I'll go find the shrimp." Right now, he wanted to get away from his personal tormentor. That was his job!

"Have fun with your boyfriend," Lust said, walking away from a gaping Envy. She laughed when she heard his explosive temper. Gods, it was fun pushing his buttons.

Lust was going to find herself on the top of her to get even list. "One of these days when you least suspect it, I will get my revenge!" He laughed psychotically, causing the people nearby to look at him.

"What?" Did they not have anything better to do with their useless lives?

The humans went back to their business.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: My Enemy, My Ally, My Rival  
Author: Chibi Envy Chan  
Fandom: Full Metal Alchemist  
Rating: PG-13  
Warning: Swearing, innuendos, some violence, and implied male/male relationship  
Summary: With Scar on the move, it is not safe for any state alchemist. Will Ed survive his encounter or will he receive help from an unlikely ally?

Chapter 3

"If I was the midget, where would I be?" Envy asked himself. He casually meandered down the street as if he was part of the scenery and nothing out of the ordinary. Out of all the homunculi, he was the one who had the least clothing covering body, but damn, he looked good in it. Lust had mentioned it to him a few times but gave up when he shrugged off her comments. Sloth was too young to even care. Pride was too prideful to say anything about his attire. Greed, well, he was currently preoccupied at the moment to answer the question. As for Gluttony, the tub of lard was more interested in getting something to eat than appearances.

A few soldier in those blue uniforms passed by him. As they did, he glanced towards their belts for the tell tale sign of the pocket watches. When an alchemist passed the test, he or she received a pocket watch, identifying him or her as a state alchemist. They almost never parted with their watches. The watches also served as a tool to amplify their transmutation. Fortunately for this homunculus, none of the humans in the group were state alchemists and even then, not many alchemists knew about their existence.

Envy placed his hands behind his head and grasped the back of his neck. He whistled some nameless tune. Basically, he was bored, searching for the shrimp. Why couldn't he have some of the fun missions? Thinking about it, he supposed it was better to search for the shrimp than Scar. The shrimp was more entertaining than that Ishbalan. Also if anyone was going to kill Ochibi-san, it was him. He deserved that privilege after putting up with his mission and That Person for so long. Yeah, that was the reason.

The oldest Sin cursed in frustration. He had been searching for the midget for awhile now. Actually, it had been half an hour, but for a bored Envy, it was too long. He was tempted to go and threaten the nearest person with physical harm if the desired information was not provided. Sadly, he was supposed to keep a low profile, meaning he was not to create a scene. Too late for that! He had already caused one? No wait, two of them.

Before he knew it, the five uniformed soldiers rushed past him in a hurry to reach their destination. At first, Envy thought nothing of it, but then he realized, he had a better chance of finding Ochibi-san if he knew what was happening. It did not take the homunculus long to catch up to the soldiers, one of the benefits of being a homunculus. However, he took to the rooftops rather than be caught following them.

A couple times, he had nearly lost them when they were disoriented or made a sharp turn. If they were not useful, he would have eviscerated them all over the street, not caring if he made a mess. That was certainly going to draw unwanted attention, but at least he was not going to be frustrated and have pent up energy.

As Envy was following them, he tried to listen to what they were saying. He caught a few words and all of them indicated a famous alchemist. The trouble was that there were a few staying there. For example, there was that Flame Alchemist. He was a known hero in the Ishbal War. Then there was the Strong Arm Alchemist. He too was a veteran of the same war. Of course, it could be the Ochibi-san. He was known as an alchemist for the people and tried to help the average citizen even if it meant breaking several rules.

So far, everything seemed to be calm. The human citizens were going about their daily business and not scurrying for safety. The little brats were even playing in the streets without a care in the world. The adult humans were busy watching the little brats, working, or running errands. The military, on the other hand, were frantically rounding up as many soldiers as they could. From the looks of it, it appeared that they were launching an attack against someone or someone was attacking them.

It did not take a genius to put two and two together. Speeding up, Envy overtook the group of humans he was following. There was no way he was going to allow the Ishbalan to take away his kill. It was his privilege to kill Ochibi-san, and he was going to savor every second of it. He would enjoy seeing the blood run down the shrimp's body, the dazed look in his eyes, and his last breath before his soul departed from him.

Too bad a certain human had to ruin his daydreaming of gleefully killing Ochibi-san by causing quite a chaos. Envy snapped to attention and came to an abrupt halt. He waited a moment and was rewarded when he spotted a cloud of dust coming from his right. 'That must be where the shrimp is.' Only the shrimp could cause that kind of damage. No wait, that meant he was admitting the shrimp was better than him. That was not possible. He was superior to the midget in every way.

The androgynous palm tree raced in the direction of the last explosion. He hoped that Fullmetal was still alive, because he wanted to be the one who dealt the fatal blow, not some human scum. Gracefully jumping from building to building, Envy kept an eye out for a certain head of blond hair when he saw something grey moving at a fast speed. Without thinking about it, he leapt down and landed near the grey object before running at about the same speed.

"Envy!" The grey thing yelled in surprise, nearly tripping on its own two feet. "What are you doing here?"

"I could be asking you the same thing," Envy calmly responded. There was no reason to tell the younger Elric brother about his mission. It was not going to affect him directly, and the Sin hoped it was only a temporary mission. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"It's Scar," Al replied, not slowing down. In fact, he had picked up his speed despite not knowing where brother was. He needed to find Ed before Scar could do anything drastic to him. 'Oh brother, you were trying to protect me as usual by leading him away from me. You didn't need to risk your life. We're a team, and we should be able to count on each other. I wish you trusted me and my abilities. I can help too.'

'Dammit Lust, you said you were going to find him and keep an eye on him. Now look what you have done. You allowed Scar to get a chance to kill Ochibi-san, and we still need him for our plans.' Envy thought during the moments of silence. The two of them were running at a fast rate even if they had no clue where they were going. "Where is the shrimp?"

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be searching for him," Al replied with a frantic voice. No wonder why Ed hated that particular homunculus. Almost every word from his mouth was an insult to Ed. "The last time I saw brother he was heading down this way. I'm not sure where he went after this. He could have turned down any one of these alleyways."

"Look Tin Can," Envy said, taking control of the situation. "I'm going to search from the rooftops. You search on the ground and near the buildings. We should be able to find the shrimp or any signs left behind him."

Al was more than surprise when Envy was willing to help search for brother. Not only that, but the homunculus had even volunteered to aid in the search. This was completely not him; however, the armor had known Envy for a very short amount of time so he could not say anything. "That sounds like a plan. How are we going to contact each other?"

"Once you're done searching, go to the military building or the nearest hospital. I will find you there."

This was too much for the armor. Had Envy been replaced by a shape shifting clone? No, wait Envy was the shape shifter so it ruled that out. Maybe he had been hypnotized or something. Yeah, that had to be the reason. On the other hand, it could be an act, but right now, he needed all the help he could get to find brother. "Okay."

After saying that, Envy performed a few aerial flips that would make an acrobat jealous and landed on the roof. He sped off in a different direction and slowed down a bit. It was not as if finding the shrimp was the most important thing to him. Killing that Bastard was going to bring him more enjoyment and satisfaction than killing the Bastard's offspring. No wait, killing the spore in front of the Bastard was going to be much better. He loved torturing humans mentally and emotionally. They were such fragile creatures.

"Come on shrimp, do something. Show me a sign you're still alive," Envy thought as he raced down a row of buildings. As soon as he landed on a building, he heard yet another explosion. He grinned. That was more like it. Ed sure did know how to make a mess just like Envy.

Envy smacked himself for ever thinking that he and the shrimp could ever have something in common other than that Bastard. No, they were not the same. They were not even similar. He was nothing like the Ochibi-san. He was better in every way; however, the shrimp could do one thing he could not. Edward could use alchemy.

Racing to the scene, Envy paused when he reached a building that was adjacent next to an abandoned alleyway. He looked down to find the Ochibi-san half dead and the advancing serial killer. Before he did anything, he surveyed the scene.

Scar had a few injuries and did not seem to be slowing down any time soon. In fact, it appeared he could take on an army and survive it. His usual sun glasses were missing in action, and there were rips in his clothing. Most likely they were the Fullmetal's handy work. When backed into a corner, the shrimp could put up a decent fight.

Ed, on the other hand, was definitely not in any condition to fight any longer let alone put up a decent defense. His body was bruised and battered. His clothes were ripped in many areas though he had enough clothes on to cover his essential parts. In one of those rips, a deep gash could be seen though it was nothing fatal or else he would have been amongst the decease. There were other smaller cuts, but that large one concerned Envy. The mechanical arm hung by his side, completely rendered useless. It meant the shrimp was literally and figuratively unarmed.

The nearby walls were littered with holes and rubble was strewn across the ground. From the looks of it, either Ed transmuted the rocks into something and Scar destroyed it or Scar used that arm of his to try and kill Ed using the method that had brought many state alchemists to their bloody ends. As he was looking at the scene, he noticed the amount of blood splattered on the rubble. It was definitely not looking good for Ochibi-san.

When Envy looked over at the two alchemist combatants, he was caught off guard. Scar was a hell lot closer than the homunculus thought. For some reason, he was seeing red once again. He did not know why, but he did not question it at the time. His body moved as if someone had taken control of it, and he was the passenger.

Without warning, Envy gracefully jumped off the roof and landed between the two alchemist, taking the would be fatal blow. The force of the impact pushed him back into Fullmetal who was shocked upon this fortunate turn of events. The searing pain lasted only a moment before that familiar sensation of his flesh knitting together as they healed. Even then, he hated being injured and him purposely taking a blow especially for the shrimp was saying something.

The blond was fully prepared to die at that moment before someone blocked his sight and taken the blow for him. Before he could react, a very familiar body was thrown in his direction. Since he was braced for an assault, he was prepared to catch the homunculus that was thrown at him. Several questions ran through his mind. 'Why did Envy take the blow? He hates pain. He said so himself. Why would he even bother saving me when he is going to kill me later on? It would save him the trouble. Oh wait, they needed me to create the philosopher's stone. However, there should be another way.'

Scar was more than furious. He was down right livid with rage. Someone had blocked the death blow, but it did not matter. Fullmetal was going to be dead in less than a minute and that fool's sacrifice was going to be worthless. Cautiously, he walked towards the half-dead state alchemist when he abruptly stopped. His eyes fell on that sign, the ouroborus, a sign of the homunculi. It was on the new comer's left upper thigh. "You."

"Yeah, me what?" Envy inquired with a malicious grin. His body had healed enough for him to be standing up. It was going to take less than a minute for him to be completely healed.

"You're a homunculus," Scar stated, "a sin against god. Therefore, you must die along with those state alchemist sinners."

At this point, the Sin was laughing so hard that he probably could have laughed himself to death. Humans were such dense but amusing creatures. "Thank you, General Obvious. I'm sure we needed that piece of information." He placed his hand on his hips before a light traveled up his body, cleaning it of his blood. "What makes you think you can take me on and live? I have more experience than can ever hope to gain." He preened.

Out of all the times, Edward Elric was thanking any deity that Envy had come. He was going to survive another day, and for once, he was not the object of the homunculus' torment. It was another person, and it was entertaining to see Scar lose his cool. Then again, the Ishbalan was dealing with someone who had a few centuries worth of experience taunting and torturing others.

Scar held up his right arm, showing off his tattoo. "With this, I will kill you and rid the world of your kind." He had no doubt that this was going to be a hard and long fight since this was a homunculus. The Ishbalan was not certain how long this one had been 'living,' but something told him that it was a long time. "I am going to purge this world of sinners. This is my god's will and so I shall."

Envy transformed his right arm into his usual blade. He was less than eager for a fight, but this human was not giving him a choice. Either way, he was going to be fighting even if he would rather watch the shrimp try to get out of this mess by himself. It was not worth risking losing Fullmetal. The plan was too important. "You humans are such pathetic and hypocritical creatures. You say state alchemists are sinners for using alchemy. What about the average citizen? They use alchemy except they aren't trained for battle. I find that to be ironic. Not to mention, you are using that which is forbidden in your religion to accomplish your appointed task. I find it very amusing."

"Homunculus, I am not here for your entertainment," Scar growled before he lunged at the homunculus. He completely missed and hit the building in which the two were standing. Apparently, Envy had been expecting the attack and pulled the state alchemist out of the way. "You are delaying the inevitable. God will not tolerate sinners and neither will I."

As he danced out of the way, Envy hauled the alchemist off his feet, making certain that his blade did not further injure the blond. As much as he hated running away and looking weak, there were not many options he had with an injured Edward. He needed to get Full Metal out of the way before he could properly dispose of the serial killer. Too bad, Envy was not allowed to kill him as well. They had plans for him too. He transformed his arm back into its normal form and then bounded down the alleyway with Scar not far behind him.

"Envy!" The alchemist almost shrieked as he gripped onto the homunculus. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Envy countered with a sneer on his face. Who would have ever thought that he ended up like this, carrying the son of his enemy, the one who abandoned him all those years ago? It was ironic.

Edward pressed his lips. One wrong word could mean the difference between Envy leaving him with Scar or taking him somewhere 'safe' though still had his doubts about it. "It looks like you're running away."

"A strategical retreat," the oldest homunculus growled. Even though he was one of the best fighters, he hated being injured. It hurt! "Unless you want me to fight him with you there and possibly risk you being killed in the process."

"I'll pass on that," Fullmetal said, actually complying with the Sin, who was actually surprised by the turn of events. Nevertheless, the rest of the way was in silence as the two were being chased through the various alleyways and streets by that alchemist killer.

It was rather odd that no one had noticed them by now. Maybe it was due to the fact that they were running at a fast rate and people were barely given a glimpse of who the people were let alone the fact that one of them was not even human. In fact, many people did not know about the existence of homunculi, because these beings were able to get around without the humans chasing after them. Their ourobori were even plain sight. Some of them had theirs in risqué places such as cleavage or upper thighs.

Once Envy made a sharp turn around a corner, he dumped the surprised alchemist into a dumpster and shut the lid on a very irate blond. Without any hesitation, he transformed into a perfect copy of the state alchemist and took off in a different direction. This action gained the attention of the serial killer.

'Good,' Envy thought. His original plan was to run somewhere and hopefully the military personnel would distract Scar long enough for them to make their escape. Sadly, while there were plenty of soldiers, there were either none along the routes he took or they barely had a chance to react at all before they left the scene.

Now his plan was to lure away the killer and hopefully lose him within the crowds. Then he was going to head back to where he stashed the shrimp away, just to make sure the shrimp was not going to die on them. Nope, Edward Elric was not going to die just yet as much as Envy wanted it to happen. They had a plan and all that time they spent preparing was not going to go to waste.

As he was running down the different alleyways, Envy completely forgot about the recent changes in the layout. Maybe they were not recent, but with the many years or decades that Envy had been 'alive' one tends to forget about such trivial details. Upon entering the dead end alley, 'Edward' cursed out loud and turned around to run right back out.

"Well, well, it seems that you have nowhere to run. Start saying your prayers, state alchemist," Scar said as he slowly walked up towards the retreating blond. He raised his right hand in preparation for that touch, the touch of death. It only took one touch the right place and instant death.

'Remember act how the shrimp would,' Envy mentally reminded himself. For centuries, he worked on perfecting his disguise and acting techniques. Now they were second nature to him, but at the same time, he sometimes became a little careless.

"The fight isn't over until I say it is," 'Edward' scowled. It was easy for Envy to mimic the automail and the process of appearing to transmute it. After all, it was his body and he had control over his body. Like a desperate animal would or one state alchemist, he lunged at the Isbhalan, prepared to strike him down.

Knowing this move, Scar simply side stepped it and his hand descended upon the alchemist's back. He would have had 'Ed' in a good position to kill him, but it was not Edward Elric he was dealing with. It was someone far worse and skilled than him.

"Edward" had managed to shift his weight enough to move his body away from the impending hand. He also moved his body out of the Ishbalan's reach and went into a roll before jumping into a standing position. As soon as he was up, he knew he had to move.

"It seems you have become faster since we last met," Scar announced in a calm matter. It did not matter to him. The blond was merely delaying the inevitable. Now it was his turn to be on the offensive. Without wasting another second, he rushed forward to fight the alchemist.

It was easy for him to dodge it. Throughout the centuries, he had learned how to dodge these attacks for one reason and one reason alone. He hated being hurt! It was too painful. Never mind the fact that he healed almost immediately afterwards. "It appears that I have."

"It won't matter, because in the end, your sins will be atoned for with your life." The Ishbalan had used up most of his energy during the chase, but he knew that Edward was too weak to defend himself let alone put up a decent fight.

"You talk too big." 'Edward' scowled. It appeared that he was far from giving up and was ready for a second or even a third round. That was what puzzled Scar. He thought that the state alchemist was going to be easy to take down. He was wrong. But wait. There was something missing there or rather someone.

"And you're not dead yet," Scar said before they engaged in battle.

Fifteen Minutes Later

Scar had managed to touch the alchemist's head and make it explode on contact. Just as he was walking away from the scene, he noticed something. The body was moving on its own and standing up. That could only mean one thing. The being with whom he fought with was not Edward Elric, the Full Metal Alchemist. It was one of them. Now the missing piece had fallen into place.

"My, my, leaving quite a mess," Envy purred, reverting back into his preferred form. His cat like eyes scanned over the shocked Ishbalan. It was truly a fun sight. "Didn't your mother ever tell you to clean up after yourself?"

"You again." Scar hissed.

"Be glad that I don't have time to mess with you," Envy said in an off hand manner. He could take down Scar with a single move, but it was not part of the plan. To ensure their objective was reached, That Person had devised a plan as well as back up plans in case the first one failed. It was unwise of them to place all of their eggs in a basket, especially a volatile one.

Scar knew that he did not stand a chance against the smirking homunculus. Instead of going after him, he went to go lick his wounds and heal. It was going to be awhile before anyone saw him again. He was not going to risk failing his god by being rash.

Envy 983, Humans 0

He loved that score and cheered for himself as he went to retrieve the state alchemist. Along the way, he had picked up a first aid kit using his allowance. Yes, he received an allowance from That Person for his good behavior. The other homunculi received it as well though a couple of them had well paying jobs.

Upon arriving at the dumpster, he found it opened and empty. Envy frowned. This was not good. He had left the shrimp there for a reason. That reason was to keep him out of harm's way while he dealt with the serial killer.

"Where has the shrimp gone?"

There was a sudden outburst nearby, giving the location of the state alchemist in question. "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like I am doing?" Envy was not in a mood to deal with the shrimp's stubbornness. He did not even have to be doing this in the first place. After all, it was only his job to make sure that the shrimp lived in the first place and since the threat has been taken care of, he needed to report back.

"It looks like you have come to kill me."

".. Wrong oh short one," Envy mocked and smirked when he heard Edward go into a full fledged spazz. It was an amusing sight to behold though sometimes it was too boring.

"Then what are you here for?" Ed inquired, backing up. He did not trust this homunculus as far as he could throw him without the aid of his automail arm.

Sighing, Envy walked forward until he had the state alchemist pinned against the wall. He placed his right hand on the blond's shoulder and pushed him down into a sitting position. As Edward prepared to knock the homunculus on his head with his human arm, the Sin merely popped open the first aid kit and started tending to his wounds. "You know, I don't have to do this."

His fist stopped short of hitting the homunculus on the right side of his face and wavered there. "Then why are you doing this? Why are you helping me? We know you hate me."

While Envy continued to disinfect Ed's wounds, he thought about it. Why was he helping Ed in the first place? He could easily say that he had been ordered to protect him, but Ed was out of danger. There was no need for him to be patching up Ochibi-san especially since there were others who were willing to do the job. In fact, his mind could not come up with a reason why. Sure, he hated Edward Elric. The state alchemist had everything he wanted, but he wanted more. Still, there was some reason as to why he was going above and beyond what was required of him. Why and for what reason? There had to be a reason for this. Maybe he could gain something from it. The only question was what.

"Envy?" Ed squirmed a bit as the bandages were finally being wrapped on him. Scar certainly did a number on him and from the looks of it, most of the first aid kit was going to be used.

"I don't know," Envy simply answered. "I just don't know."

"Okay."

One worked in silence while the other waited patiently, trying not to move around too much.

"Thanks." Ed finally managed to say. It was hard for him to say that and it was not just the words. It was more along the lines of saying it someone who had been trying to kill him.

"I don't need your thanks." Envy huffed. He finished putting the last bandage on the state alchemist and then turned to deal with the first aid kit.

Ed chuckled. "I suppose you don't, but I'm going to say it. Thanks." He watched as the homunculus scowl at him. It was truly a sight to those who knew them. Who would have ever thought that Envy could be in the same area as Edward without brutally injuring him once? If only the others could see him.

"Like I said, I don't need it or want it," Envy scowled. Standing up, he nearly crushed the innocent first aid box.

Instead of saying anything, Ed just smiled and it infuriated the homunculus. Maybe it had something to do with the loss of blood.

As Envy was about to say something in retort, he felt someone embrace him from behind, a genuine hug. It was an odd feeling for him; yet, at the same time, he found that he liked it and it was scaring him? Just a little. He looked down to find a head of blond hair. "Tch, it's bad enough that I save your rear. Now you have to go sentimental on me."

"Just because you can't admit it; it doesn't mean you like it," Ed said in a calm manner. Yes, he was hugging someone who had killed over hundreds of people, but he did not know why he was doing it. There was this feeling within him. Something told him to hug the insane homunculus and that was what he did.

Envy finally pried himself from the blond's embrace. "You're grasping straws, state alchemist, and the next time we meet, I will kill you." Without another word, he stormed off.

"And I have no doubts about it."

----------------------

Sequel will be coming shortly. I'll try to update one of my stories on a weekly basis; however, they're most likely going to be the raw versions, meaning no beta reader until I can find one.


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